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1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up [Hardcover]

Julia Eccleshare , Quentin Blake
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 27, 2009
This is the best and most authoritative guide to classic and contemporary children’s literature today. It is the latest in the best-selling 1001 series, and its informative reviews are the key to differentiating the "must-read" books from all the rest in the realm of children’s books. Whether you are a parent seeking to instill a love of reading in your child, an educator or counselor looking for inspiration, or a young reader with a voracious appetite, this guide to the best writing for children and young adults covers the spectrum of children’s literature. It is organized by age group—from board books to YA novels and all the gradations in between. Each entry features evaluations by a team of international critics complete with beautifully reproduced artwork from the featured title. The beloved classics are here, but the guide also takes a global perspective and includes the increasingly diverse contributions from African American and Latino authors and illustrators—not to mention important books from around the world.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This British import, a survey of influential children's books (part of the 1001 series and edited by the Guardian's children's books editor), offers a comprehensive and diverse compendium of more than a century's worth of essential reads. The compact and encyclopedia-thick format is divided into five age ranges. A review of each book is accompanied by original publication information (readers will have to research current availability, especially as some titles differ in the U.S. market) and themes, with cover and interior art interspersed throughout. Favorites like Bridge to Terabithia will satisfy traditionalists, while crossover books like Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees and international selections (for example, Swedish author Pernilla Stalfelt's The Death Book) will broaden the canon. An asset for all those who've caught—or never lost—the bug. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

This latest addition to the acclaimed 1001 series is a guide to the best classic and contemporary children’s literature.

"A survey of influential children's books... An asset for all those who’ve caught—or never lost—the bug." ~Publisher's Weekly

“This 960-page, full-color hardcover is an excellent resource for parents, teachers and librarians, but it also includes just about every title I worshiped when I was younger –
and hundreds I still need to read.” ~USAToday.com

“This stimulating guide — inter­national in scope — includes many books you’ll be grateful to discover or revisit and many more that have been all but forgotten.” ~New York Times Book Review

"Finally, there is a reference book to end all reference books... This fat 960-page tome contains hundreds of the best chosen by great children's authors and critics... Organized by age and brilliantly illustrated, it also pops in all kinds of marvelous lists -- Silly Books, Great Collections of Fables, Recommended Books about Horses, More Great books about Granddads, Great War Books, Time-travel Tales and so on..." ~The Huffington Post

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 960 pages
  • Publisher: Universe; First Edition edition (October 27, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0789318768
  • ISBN-13: 978-0789318763
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 2.4 x 8.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
(15)
4.6 out of 5 stars
This book has been a very good investment for our family. mom of six  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a children's book collecter (fiction, not picture books), I snapped this book up the moment I saw it.

The good - it reviews many wonderful children's books, including quite a number that are in danger of disappearing from memory. The 8+ section of the book contains many of the best children's books ever written, including The Phantom Tollbooth, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Charlotte Sometimes, Tom's Midnight Garden, The Neverending Story (the REAL story, not the dreadful movie),and many others. Thank you to the authors - I hadn't realised my copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler was missing and have now replaced it, just as my 8 year old daughter is old enough to love it.

The somewhat disappointing - there are books reveiewed that I would LOVE to read, but as I don't read in French, Swedish, Japanese or Finnish that pleasure is unlikely to come my way. Other reviewers may bemoan the anglo-bias of this collection, but I bemoan the inclusion of books in an English publication that can't be read in English!

The not so good - the omissions. A Candle in her Room, When Marnie was There, Summer of my German Soldier, The Great Gilly Hopkins, People Might Hear You ... just looking through one of the first shelves of books near me I can see some glaring omissions. (Yes, I know, there is a whole history of children's literature and only 1001 books that can be included!)

Then, too, there are some books that are not really children's books at all. When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit is a children's book and an excellent example of a book to introduce a dark period of history to an older child (say, 10 or so). However, Watership Down is not a children's book - as I can attest vigorously, having read it to terrifying effect as a child.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have always loved children's literature and have been collecting editions of favorite titles for some years now. Since I have a five-year-old child, I find myself enjoying children's literature even more, as I get to share favorite classics with her whilst also discovering new authors.

I like the quote attributed to Children's Laureate Michael Rosen in the Introduction, "I think of children's books as not so much for children, but as the filling that goes between the child world and the adult world. One way or another, all children's books have to negotiate that space." I think this beautifully sums up the essence of children's literature, and of the blurry lines between the adult world and the children's world, and how these lines change over time. For example, some works deemed inappropriate for children years ago, may be considered quite tame by today's standards.

The book itself has an index of titles at the beginning, which is arranged alphabetically. This is then followed with the 1001 list of children's books, organized in terms of age appropriateness (suggested age group, really), beginning with 0-3, 3+, 5+, 8+, and finally, 12+. At the end of the book there is an index by author/illustrator and a compilation of featured reviewers and picture credits (as far as possible, an attempt has been made to feature the first edition covers in the original language of publication).

The book does not only contain chidlren's books written in English, but a host of titles written in foreign languages such as French, Danish, German, and the Asian languages. This gives the book a universal appeal, though I imagine some of the foreign titles may be difficult to procure, especially if one is looking for English translations of these works.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A new family goal December 11, 2009
Format:Hardcover
This book is beautiful! I love children's literature and this seems to be an excellent collection. It has many of my favorites growing up( "Goodnight Moon", " Where The Wild Things Are" etc) and many books I have loved reading with my kids ( "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus", "Harry Potter" "Skippyjon Jones" etc). We have a new family goal of reading all of these books with our kids. I personally love that it has books from all over the world because I like seeing other cultures through the lens of their children's books. I think it will take a long time to find and read all of the books, but I think that will be part of the fun.
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35 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This gigantic book contains a wealth of suggestions, but it is very heavily weighted towards European children's books. There is an enormous diversity of European authors, from France to the Czech republic, with a few South American authors also included. However, (contrary to the product description) there really are not many authors or books with a theme representing African Americans or US residents of Latino descent (as opposed to current citizens of and conditions in Argentina), only a few such as "Snowy Day" appear on their list. There were a few Asian folktale collections representing ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures, but there was very little I saw in the book about the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, or Africa. Additionally, there were many books that genuinely looked interesting to me, because I'd never heard of them before, but I discovered that many of the books (about half of those in the book) are not *at all* available in the US, and several that I tried to locate did not seem available in the UK either (even in used bookstores), so I found this book quite frustrating. It's not that useful to have a list of books that cannot be found.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for Excellence
There are no new story lines to write, but there is always a new way to tell them. The writers listed in this book have turned children's stories into wonderful entertainment. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kathi Linz
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this reference book!
This is a great reference book. We have read many of the books listed and they are consistently good. The book categorizes by age which is great. Read more
Published 3 months ago by T. Acker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Executive Summary: Buy this book and use it. If you read these 1001 books to your child, you will be giving him a wonderful gift and a tremendous advantage. Read more
Published 7 months ago by A. Conway
4.0 out of 5 stars A NIce Guide to Children's Books!
This is a good book for finding classic children's books. It stirs up memories of books already read to suggesting books one has never heard of before. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Lynn Ellingwood
4.0 out of 5 stars Arrived on time
Book arrived on time but one corner slightly bent. Book should have been packaged better. Book arrived in only a single envelope with no padding.
Published 15 months ago by Dori
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful resource
I think that any parent who values good, quality, time-tested literature should own this book. As a mother of six children, ranging in age from 2 to 9, I use this book weekly to... Read more
Published on December 21, 2010 by mom of six
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
This book is awesome. I wish I had known about it when my kids were little. Now grand kids will benefit. Read more
Published on October 18, 2010 by Marilyn Cathers
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Until...
This is a really good compilation until you reach the 12+ section. It gets especially weak in the 1980s, where there seem to be too many "Ban the Bomb" books. Read more
Published on July 27, 2010 by E. Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars Kids really do like these books!
Before heading out on our month-long vacation driving through the Southwest USA, I checked out 1001 Children's Books and browsed through it with my 11-year-old and 14-year-old. Read more
Published on June 13, 2010 by Andrea Broomfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Great compendium
This book is great. It does have an anglo- and European bias and I wish there were more African and Asian books listed. Read more
Published on March 21, 2010 by Andy
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